Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron's career in scientific research went into a steep decline Monday, exactly as he planned it.

The Oscar-winning director of Titanic and Avatar became the first human to make a solo trip to the deepest part of the ocean – the so-called Challenger Deep spot, part of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, near Guam.

Cameron, 57, descended for two hours and 36 minutes and reached the spot at 7:52 a.m. local time Monday (5:52 p.m. ET Sunday), CNN reports. He spent two hours observing and collecting samples of material for research and then resurfaced after a 70-minute ascent.